


Interlude With my Cousin

by gaily-daily (passionateartist)



Series: won't you hold my heart [10]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/F, Gen, You Know what who cares, too lazy to look it up anyway, what is the ship name for Valerie/Dani?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:20:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22727536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/passionateartist/pseuds/gaily-daily
Summary: Anyway, whatever happened to Dani?
Relationships: Valerie Gray/Danielle "Dani" Phantom
Series: won't you hold my heart [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1557736
Comments: 3
Kudos: 70





	Interlude With my Cousin

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wasn't going to write Dani in this verse but then the story kept getting bigger and bigger that I just thought, fuck it. Plus there is a SPECIFIC line that I want a certain future character to say in regards to her that's way too brilliant to pass up.
> 
> Also THIS IS JUST A DRABBLE! It's not so much of a fic so much as an info dump. Sorry I guess?

Elle had never really been certain of her last name. She'd thought it was Masters for a time. And then she thought it was Fenton. Officially, in the eyes of the government, it's Gray. After Valerie had introduced her to her father, the man had taken an immediate liking to her. And after learning Elle's situation, Damon had drawn up the appropriate paperwork to adopt her. She's always been grateful for that. 

At the time, part of her was still hoping the Fenton family would take her in. But she also wanted to find her own identity outside of Danny Fenton/Phantom. So she gladly became Danielle Gray.

When she was 14 an Axion facility opened up in Europe. Damon was offered the chance of a lifetime to relocate. His pay would be double over there. And so the family packed up and moved across the world. She'd given Danny a tearful hug goodbye and they promised to keep in touch. 

Valerie and Elle became a ghost hunting team. They never made it quite as big as Amity Park (there were far less natural occurring ghost portals where they lived) but they had a lot of good times. Somewhere along the way, the frequent texts and phone calls between her and Danny winded down to once a week. Then once every two weeks. And soon they lost touch.

She never meant for it to happen. She cared for her cousin greatly, but every time she thought about him, she thought about how he would always be the Original. And she would only ever be a clone. Danny would admonish her for thinking in such way. He had reassured her time and again that he didn't think of her like that. But she couldn't help it. The more distance she put in-between herself and Danny the more she felt like her own person. She even changed her nickname. She already shared DNA with him, she wanted to at least have her own name. 

Then one day, out of the blue, Danny had called her up. And it was like no time had passed between them at all. The years faded away. They talked for hours. Elle couldn't believe she had let herself ever think that it had been a good idea to lose contact with her cousin.

And then Danny told her he was living with Vlad and everything shattered. She wasn't proud of the things she said to him that day. She remembers screaming and crying and calling him a traitor. She hung up the phone and didn't answer it when he called back. 

And once again they fell into the void of not talking. Elle tried several times to extend an olive branch. To at least try to understand. But every time she started a new text, she could only think of her father's face as he tried to kill her. 

How could Danny forgive him for that?

And so years passed again. 

Elle and Valerie grew closer than ever. Until finally she found the courage to admit that she had never seen Valerie as a sister. Even if Damon had taken her in as one, she saw Valerie as her best friend. As someone she loved. Valerie had confessed as well. Elle had been surprised when the first thought in her mind was that she wanted to tell Danny. She didn't want to tell any of her friends, she just wanted to talk to her cousin.

After a week or so Valerie had sensed her closing up. She asked her what was wrong. So Elle told her. Valerie had immediately understood.

"Anyone who aligns themselves with that creep doesn't deserve your friendship." She had said firmly.

And while part of Elle agreed with her, she also knew that Valerie had a tendency to let her darker thoughts consume her. Valerie may be up to speed now, and she may have (begrudgingly) forgiven Danny for lying to her for so long, but Elle remembered the way she had fought Phantom as the Red Huntress. Her inability to see Phantom's side of things and just listen to him for one second in their many fights, had caused her to unfairly accuse him of things he had not done. And to mercilessly shoot him down.

Stubbornness, it seemed, ran in the family. Vlad had held onto his hatred for Jack for decades. Would Elle do the same to her cousin? Would she shun him forever?

So with a nervous heart, she decides to call him.

Danny is overjoyed to hear from her. He's ridiculously happy to hear how well she's doing. He's ecstatic that her and Valerie are dating too. Elle blushes at his warmth. 

"That's awesome Dani! That's...it's really good to hear from you."

Their distance had clearly hurt him. She feels guilty. For not doing this sooner. For letting her resentment and hatred build up. Danny didn't deserve that. He never deserved that.

"Actually it's Elle now." She says quietly. 

"Oh. Okay." The pause is as awkward as she feels. "I like it!"

Elle scratches her neck. Positive that Danny is scratching his as well. Some habits you just don't grow out of.

She figures she's been avoiding it enough and braces herself for the question she knew she had to get over with.

"So…" she takes a moment to build her courage, "How's Vlad these days?"

Danny goes deathly silent. 

Oh. 

She grips the phone a little tighter. Shoving down thoughts of 'I told you so' and 'I knew it!' 

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

She hears a breathy sigh. A hollow laugh.

"Don't worry, I complain about him enough to other people. I won't subject you to that too."

A pause. Elle thinks for a moment. She really rather wouldn't. But she _does_ want to hear about Danny's life. She wants to know what he's been doing lately. How he's been. And if Vlad happens to be a part of what Danny has (had) been doing then she wants to hear about that too.

"It's fine. I want you to talk about it."

"You sure?"

"It's good to vent." She says, and she lies back on her bed in a more comfortable position. This might take awhile. "Lay it on me cuz! Start from the beginning!"


End file.
